Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme allows businesses to claim up to £2,500 a month towards staff wages - 80% of their employees’ monthly pay. The scheme has now been extended until October 2020, however, new guidelines will be implemented from July to allow employees to return to work and revitalise the economy.

Update: 1st June 2020

Updates to Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Bringing furloughed employees back part-time

From 1st July 2020, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will become more flexible to allow employers to bring furloughed staff back to work on a part-time basis. Employers will still receive a grant for the time their part-time employees spend not working as part of this arrangement.

Employers will select the hours and shift patterns their staff will work upon their return, with the CJRS continuing to cover 80% of their wages for any normal working hours they do not work until the end of August 2020. This change allows employees to work as little or as much as the business needs as the country adapts to the “new normal,” and includes no minimum time for furlough. This shift, which was originally planned for 1st August 2020, has been moved forward one month to offer greater flexibility to employers and encourage people to get back to work.

The working arrangements must be agreed between the business and their employees in writing and must cover at least one week of work. For example, when claiming funding for furloughed hours under a part-time arrangement, employers will need to claim for a minimum of one week. However, employers can opt to make claims for longer periods, such as monthly or two weekly cycles. To make a claim, employers must submit data on the usual hours an employee would be expected to work, versus their actual hours worked during the claim period.

What if I don’t have any work for my furloughed employees?If a furloughed employee is unable to return to work or you have no work to give them at this time, they can stay on furlough and you can continue to claim for 80% of their full-time wages under the existing rules for CJRS.

Tapering of government support

To reflect the country's return to work, government support as part of CJRS will begin to taper off from August 2020. In June and July, the government will continue to pay 80% of a furloughed employee's salary. However, from August employers will be expected to make a modest contribution - although furloughed employees will still receive 80% of their wages.

The scheme updates mean that the government will:

June and July- The government will pay 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500 as well as employer National Insurance (ER NICS) and pension contributions. Employers are not required to pay anything

August - The government will pay 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500. Employers will pay ER NICs and pension contributions – for the average claim, this represents 5% of the gross employment costs the employer would have incurred had the employee not been furloughed

September - The government will pay 70% of wages up to a cap of £2,187.50. Employers will pay ER NICs and pension contributions and 10% of wages to make up 80% total up to a cap of £2,500. For the average claim, this represents 14% of the gross employment costs the employer would have incurred had the employee not been furloughed

October - The government will pay 60% of wages up to a cap of £1,875. Employers will pay ER NICs and pension contributions and 20% of wages to make up 80% total up to a cap of £2,500. For the average claim, this represents 23% of the gross employment costs the employer would have incurred had the employee not been furloughed

How to furlough an employee/s

Using the new HMRC portal, employers must register the names and salary details of the employees they wish to furlough. If you’d like to furlough 99 individuals or less, the employee’s data must be entered into the portal directly. For 100 or more furloughed employees, the data must be compiled and uploaded into a .xls, .xlsx., .csv or .ods document.

To make a claim, employers must provide:

National Insurance Number

Claim period and amount

The employee/payroll number

Some employers have reported difficulty accessing the system because they do not have an active PAYE enrolment. To make a direct claim, employers must:

Further guidance for employers regarding furlough

Parental and adoption leave

Furloughed staff should be paid full wage while training

If staff are training while furloughed, they need to be paid at least minimum wage during this time. If the furloughed rate is less than minimum wage, employers are expected to make up the difference for time spent training, even if this means more than 80% of their wage will be subsidised.

This includes apprentices, who need to be paid their full hourly rate (which is often less than minimum wage if they are under 19) for training while on furlough. However, staff that are being paid more than minimum wage while furloughed do not need to have their wages topped up by their employer.

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Backed by the UK Government, the Business Support Helpline provides free, impartial business support and signposting services to businesses in England. Give them a call today on 0800 998 1098 or use the live WebChat. Alternatively, you can make an enquiry.